Dulles United Clubs - Why bother 4-6pm...
 

Relatively new to the Dulles thing being from the legacy CO side, but have had several international connections there over the last year and have to say...

What a mess at those clubs during the peak int'l arrival / departure times. Today each club had lines 10 deep trying to get in (arrived in C, connected in D so walked by each).

I went in D simply to use the bathroom and ask an agent a question. And that's it. There was no room to do anything else with seats taken.

Is this a new thing post merger, or has it always been tolerated like this? I'm okay with the spartan terminal as long as there's a club seat, but my last trips through Dulles it was better to find an empty gate area to go work.

The clubs have always been crowded between 4-6pm, but we can thank SHARES for the longer lines.

There's always the LH club in Terminal B. Or the AC in the same terminal, which is small, but rarely crowded, and the club attendants are very nice.

Not worth it
 

I've never found the United Club @ IAD to be worth it. No food. No decent beers. No real service of any kind. Better to take people movers to D and have dinner and a good beer (or two) at Gordon Biersch, then walk to your gate in C or D.

I've been going through those clubs at IAD for 10+ years, and it's always packed during the afternoon rush. Once the inbound ex-Europe flights empty it gets busy and stays that way until the IAD->Europe flights start to board...

so I guess "always tolerated" is the answer. But I agree that the LH lounge over in B is far far nicer, and at least the few times I've wandered over there it's been much less crowded.

Funny that this afternoon there was a line 10 deep at the Gordon Biersch as well.

But to the others, yes Lufthansa lounge is a great oasis...but a tough schlep for an hour visit.

Even better, take the train to the far end of the B Terminal. Nice shops, good restaurant choices, modern, clean, lots of natural light, and usually very quiet.

I now spend as little time in C/D (and A, for that matter) as possible, especially when I'm with my wife. We didn't even bother going to the UC in March on our way to CDG.

The stark contrast between the B Terminal and C/D is testimony to what United thinks of its IAD customers.

I have thought the same thing about the lounges in EWR. Between 3-7 pm it is an awful experience there with surley agents, poor food, impossible to get a drink at the bar, and almost not seating. UClubs are not worth anything. Will they build anymore International FC Lounges in EWR or IAH?

Good old United RCC at IAD - they do tacky so well!
 

Ahhhh, the United Red Carpet Club at IAD...what experiences I've had there! It's my home airport, so sadly I end up there a lot. I am now a wrapped cheese cube connoisser.

But my favorite part of the place is the fact that the cleaning staff seems to love to use the handicapped stall in the women's restroom to conduct their personal phone conversations - loudly. This has been the case the last three flights I've taken out of IAD and have seen (or rather heard) this each time.

Perhaps its the best cell signal in the place? ;)

Really, the best part are the mice. It has been ages, but I have seen mice during the 4-6pm time.

IMHO, the entire UA operation at IAD is a mess. What a dump! I had not been through IAD since 2001/2002 after giving up on UA before. Ended up at IAD late last year....and the only thing that had changed was the addition of the train. The rest was the same....exactly!!

The UC's are really the pits at IAD. If you have an AC membership, hustle over to A/B and hang out there. As someone else mentioned, it's small and quiet with plenty of seats available. As far as the LH lounge goes, I have not been....but I don't doubt that it is much nicer than the UC's.

As far as EWR goes, it's 10 times more pleasant than IAD. EWR was the poor hub relation when it was only CO. Now IAD must really be the weak link in the entire UA system.

^^ Very well said. UA thinks that all we deserve is new carpet and paint every few years in what is the worst terminals in a US international airport. When I'm there, I remind myself that it could be worse, I could be at MIA terminal G. ;)

I guess it's still better than no UC at all - at the UAEX gates at the end of A Terminal. What a zoo, especially when there are flight delays. It would be nice to have a club near that part of the terminal.

I'm sitting in the RCC in EWR now (by gate c90 or so...above the food court). Why is it that little kids are allowed, by their parents, to run around the club and yell and play? I dont blame the kids, but I'm really thinking of not renewing between the crowds, the never changing so so food, and the kids. It's no longer worth the $$$ or the miles.

The wireless internet is so pathetic in various United clubs in my experience, an iPad data plan is looking like a better use of the same money. I've failed to connect (on modern equipment that connects everywhere else) in the time I had before my flight, and even when I do eventually, who needs the frustration?

Following the FoodSaver model of crappy products supported by stellar customer service, you'd think that an incredible pipe to the internet would be the one thing the clubs would get right.

I tried the LH lounge for the first time last week, it was great. I was on an early return trip, so arrived before it opened. The sign said it would open at 8:20 and it did exactly that with a very German preciseness. The greeting agent was Japanese since they are there for the ANA flight apparently.

It was a nice calm oasis - although of course I was the only one in there for the first 20 minutes, and the entire terminal was a barren oasis that time of morning. I had to turn on and warm up the espresso machine myself even. The only unfortunate thing was the downstairs showers didn't open until 9 am, when I had to leave.

Seems like a possibility for even an hour connection as long as you're not going through D. I arrived in A and departed in C, and the lounge is right next to the aerotrain that runs to the middle of C.